The Four Noble Truths

Part A – Describe the Buddha’s teaching on the nature and ending of Dukkha.

The Four Noble Truths, Ariya-sacca, form the essence of the Buddha’s very first sermon which was delivered to the five ascetics in a deer park in Benares, after he had become enlightened. This sermon was called Dharmachakra Sutra which translates as “setting in motion the wheel of Dharma”, which were the Buddha’s teachings. The Four Noble Truths are called truths because, as well as being believed, they can be experienced and directly understood as part of our daily life too.

The Buddha recognised that all beings caught up in the cycle of existence are subject to Dukkha, the first noble truth. Dukkha is commonly translated as “suffering” but can also mean “pain”, “sorrow” and “misery”. The idea of the First Noble Truth relates to the extent of suffering and how it permeates our existence, affecting both the body and the mind. According to the Buddha, there are three kinds of suffering that exist in life. Dukkha-Dukkha, the first type, relates to the ordinary suffering we all experience throughout our existence such as birth, old age, sickness and death which are all obvious at first sight, just like the Buddha experienced with the Four Sights. The next type of suffering is Viparinama-Dukkha, the understanding of Dukkha being produced by change and referring to the impermanence of happy/pleasant feeling and conditions. When the Buddha first experienced suffering he had a moment of existential realisation, put forward by Professor Peter Harvey, as he soon understood that everything in life is subject to change, nothing will remain the same forever, recognising the impermanence (Annica). When the time comes for them to change, they may produce pain, suffering, unhappiness or disappointment. From this the Buddha understood that suffering is inherent in human nature and can be a result of conditioned states, which leads on to the last type of suffering which is known as Samkhara Dukkha. This explains how attachment to the ever-changing mental and physical forces apparent in an individual can lead to Dukkha. These forces or states are commonly known as the five aggregates or the five Skandhas – matter, sensations, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. The Buddha put forward that there is nothing else such as a soul (Atman) contained within an individual. Once a human realises this then they will soon develop an understanding of Anatta, the doctrine that there is no fixed/eternal interdependent self. According to Buddhism, all phenomena (except Nirvana) are characterised by three basic facts, known as the three marks of existence (three lakshanas) – Dukkha, Anicca and Anatta, which are reasoned to be the inescapable factors underlying our world. The Parable of the Mustard Seed is a common example of how we believe life to be unsatisfactory and how we are incapable of overcoming suffering and moving on. Just like Kisagotami, we tend to live in the past most of the time, clinging to what we did have but don’t have any more. We must embrace the present moment and fully know/understand the meaning of life and show compassion and help others to overcome suffering in order for us to escape the cycle of existence, as will be discussed in the Third and Fourth Noble Truth.

However, ignorance (Avidya) of the meaning and implication of the Four Noble Truths as well as misunderstanding the nature of the self and reality will indefinitely contribute to the arising of Dukkha (see below). The lack of understanding the nature of reality leads to conditioned states of the mind or habits, repeated behaviour rooted in past habits as explained by the law of Karma. Deliberate or volitional actions lead to habits and conditions that soon lead to Dukkha which keeps one trapped in an endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth (Samsara), as explained by the principle of conditionality (Paticca-Samupadda, also known as dependent origination). From the Buddha’s...

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The FourNobleTruths are the basis of the Buddhist teachings. They are as follows:
1. Dukkha – the truth of suffering
a. Says that all existence is characterized by suffering and does not bring satisfaction. Everything is suffering: birth, sickness, death; not obtaining one’s desires; etc.
2. Samudaya – the truth of the origin of suffering
a. The cause of suffering is craving or desire (tanha), the thirst for sensual pleasure (trishna), for becoming and passing away. This craving binds beings to the cycle of existence. (Paticcasamuppada)
b. Paticcasamuppāda
i. States that all phenomena are arising together in a mutually interdependent web of cause and effect. The interdependence and mutual conditioning of phenomena is critical to Dharma, which makes liberation possible. The Buddha applied this general truth of causal interdependence to the problem of suffering.
3. Nirodha – the truth of the cessation of suffering
a. Through remainder-less elimination of craving, suffering can be brought to an end.
4. Magga – the path that leads out of suffering is the eightfold path
a. The truth of the path that leads to the cessation of suffering
b. Gives the eightfold path as the means for the ending of suffering.
The discovery of the fournobletruths by the Buddha constituted his actual enlightenment.
The...

...THE FOURNOBLETRUTHS
"Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you your self test and judge to be true."
-Buddha
The fournobletruths exemplify the essence of the teachings of Buddha. They represent the beginning of a long journey to inner peace, happiness, and most importantly an end to suffering. Seven weeks after the Buddha reached enlightenment at a place called Sarnath, in India, he gave his first teaching. This is referred to as setting the wheel of Dharma in motion. (Rahula 27). It was here where Buddha first spoke of the 4 nobletruths and solidified them as eternal parts of life.
The fournobletruths were presented as follows.
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The Buddha Shakyamuni was born in the 6th century BCE in the area
presently known as Nepal. During his 80 year lifetime, he systematically
developed a pragmatic, empirically based philosophy which he claimed would lead
its followers towards an enlightened existence. Buddhism is commonly called a
religion; however, it differs from the usual definition of a religion in that it
has no deities, does not promote worship of demigods, and is based on logical
reasoning and observation rather than spiritual faith. At the heart of Buddhist
philosophy is the Buddha's enumeration of FourNobleTruths: Dukkha (suffering),
Samudaya (origin of suffering), Nirodha (cessation of suffering), and Magga
(path to cessation of suffering). The Buddha's FourNobleTruths are based on
archetypal traits that were elucidated through careful empirical observance and
intensive introspection. These FourNobleTruths form a logically coherent set
of axioms upon which the whole of Buddhism is based, and provide a solid
foundation for a philosophy which is applicable several millennia after its
formulation.{1}
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...The FourNobleTruths
Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. Buddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains obvious injustice and inequality around the world, and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to true happiness. When you study Buddhism you’re studying yourself; the nature of your body, speech and mind. The main emphasis being on the nature of your mind and how it works in everyday life. The Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up by the FourNobleTruths the Noble Eightfold Path. These teachings are known to contain the essence of the Buddhist path, regardless of the tradition one follows.
The First NobleTruth is the existence of suffering. Birth is suffering; growth, decay, and death are suffering. According to the Buddha, whatever life we lead, it has the nature of some aspect of suffering. Even if we consider ourselves happy for a while, this happiness is brief by nature. This mean that at best, we can only find temporary happiness and pleasure in life. It is realistic rather than pessimistic because pessimism is expecting things to be bad. lnstead, Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and how we can be truly happy.
The Second NobleTruth is the cause of suffering. The reason that we experience suffering...

...fig or bo tree to meditate; he determined to meditate until he received enlightenment. After seven weeks he received the Great Enlightenment: the FourNobleTruths and the Eight-fold Path. Henceforth he became known as the Buddha. This Middle Way is a psychological-philosophical insight into the cause and cure of suffering and evil.
In The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, Thich Nhat Hanh provides a citation from the Buddha, which gives insight into the cure of our distress.
"I teach only suffering and the transformation of suffering."
When we recognize and acknowledge our own suffering, the Buddha which means the Buddha in us will look at it, discover what has brought it about, and prescribe a course of action that can transform it into peace, joy, and liberation. Suffering is the means the Buddha used to liberate himself, and it is also the means by which we can become free.
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...Q2. Outline and discuss the fournobletruths: is the Buddhist view of existence optimistic or pessimistic?
The question of the Buddhist view of existence being optimistic or pessimistic is one which is many have an opinion on. It could be said that the fournobletruths provide the views of the Buddha in the way that life is led and more importantly, should be led. Certainly, the end goal is clearly optimistic, the attainment of spiritual enlightenment, or nirvana. However, the Buddhist view of life as we lead it is often deemed pessimistic as it is so concerned with suffering. As there is more than one school of thought to, "is the Buddhist view of existence of optimistic or pessimistic?" our understanding of these truths is crucial to the answer.
The first nobletruth is the full understanding of suffering. In an obvious way, people are aware of suffering and know when they have unpleasant sensations such as hunger, cold, or sickness. However, the first nobletruth includes "awareness of all the ramifications of suffering because it encompasses the very nature and essence of suffering" (Gethin, 1998). This includes knowledge of the subtle as well as the obvious aspects of suffering.
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...﻿Christian Rodriguez
Professor King
Second Paper
December 1, 2012
The Eightfold Path And The FourNobleTruths
In this paper, I will be explaining the importance of the FourNobleTruths and the Eightfold path in the Buddhist religion. I will also explain why these two systems of rules and instruction on meditation are important to each other. They are important to Buddhist beliefs and apply to freedom of re-birth and the way of Nirvana. These noble ways of life need to be perfected in order to attain nirvana.
The Eightfold path and the FourNobleTruths where arranged by Siddhartha Gautama as the substructure of all of his teachings. Although, many Buddhist have many differences in the way they practice Buddhism, Siddhartha’s teachings are honored and respected by all. For many Buddhist, the main goal in their current life time is to be freed from the cycle of re-birth “The Samsaric cycle” and reach Enlightenment.1 Rebirth can be explained as the renewal or renewed existence of one’s soul. Buddhist believes that people do not possess a soul or have a “permanent self.” It is believed, that who we are at any given time is made up of the five skandhas.2These five skandhas include; Physical factors, feelings, perceptions, volitions and awareness of consciousness. As long as these “forces are held together, a distinct separate...